1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable game machines and portable game machine cartridges, and more specifically to a portable game machine with a camera capable of reading a shot picture as an image and displaying it on a display device and a portable game machine cartridge removably attached to the portable game machine with the display device.
2. Description of the Background Art
As portable game machines with an image display device (or liquid crystal display device), a portable game machine manufactured and sold by the applicant of the present application (product name: "Game Boy") is known, for example. This portable game machine accommodates in a removable cartridge a semiconductor memory (such as ROM, EP-ROM, etc.) storing a program which differs according to the type of game, allowing a user to enjoy different games by exchanging cartridges.
Further, also known is a video camera which records pictures shot by a camera on a video tape. The video camera converts the pictures shot through a lens into digital signals to record the shot pictures as they are on a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk in order of shooting. The lens points in the forward direction when viewed from the user.
However, the conventional portable game machine can only execute the game program in the cartridge inserted therein, and cannot shoot and display the surrounding images of the user. In addition, the cartridge used for the potable game machine simply stores the game program, and the user cannot read and display a desired image.
On the other hand, as the video camera, a video camera which records shot pictures on a video tape is known. However, the video camera costs several hundred thousand yen, which is expensive, and therefore it is impossible to use it as a toy for children. Moreover, the video camera is to record the shot pictures as moving pictures, therefore it is impossible to display the picture as a still picture and use still pictures for some picture processing, or if possible, its usage is complicated. Further, the video camera is to shoot the forward images of the user, and therefore it is difficult to display the user himself/herself on the image display device and look over behind the user.